FEATURED ALBUM: Morgan - Nova Solis

[Poisoned Youth]

Today, some "2nd tier" keyboard heavy British symph from 1972. Who remembers Morgan?





Review from ProgArchives

Morgan Fisher is a genius.

There, I said it. I mean, how else could he make some of the most inventive and interesting prog rock on the planet and end up in his late 50s writing music for commercials in Japan, and getting a pretty penny for it I would hope. Sounds like a good gig to me, and a good life lived for this king of B-list prog, master of the sideshow and winner of countless Best Music No One Really Cares About awards. I don't know, maybe Fisher's playfulness appeals to me (something usually missing from today's prog). Or maybe his truly impressive musical range and compositional gifts are just too hard to ignore despite the funhouse feeling on this debut from 1972. And then there's the spectacle. All I know is Nova Solis is spilling over with atmosphere and imagery, and the fact is that Morgan Fisher gave more on his records than many of the bigger names of the time. It's an album wherein, as John Lennon said of Mr. Kite; "You should be able to smell the peanuts".

Solis is an extravaganza of what had become possible with the rock format, a parade of idea after idea passing like giant floats, each eagerly waiting in line to be revealed. This is prog when things were closer to the wild west, with as many snakeoil salesmen and roaming criminals as reliable merchants and ranchers. But among the scoundrels, Morgan Fisher and songwriting partner Tim Staffell were legit. Simply put, this LP was the sh*t-- the absolutely real thing, authentic, strong as aged goat cheese and stinking of a far off place where no good things were happening. It's what the guys who have heard it all and know classic era prog inside & out quietly listen to when no one else is around. Every aging, coffee-swilling cigarette smoker with a bad hankerin' for prog and a tragically steady paycheck who's collection from Britain between 1969 and 1979 is larger than that thing they launched the space shuttle from will deny to their death this is the godsmack of second tier symphonic prog. But it is and they know it.

Similarities are hard to peg for these guys, it was such an original group. Certainly the brilliant descriptive and incidental work of Raymond Scott is apparent in Fisher's material, as well as Syd Barrett's sense of adventure, the circuses of Dave Greenslade and maybe a whiff of Zappa. 'Samarkhand the Golden' is wonderful vintage stuff enhanced liberally by Fisher's VCS 3 synth, Hohner & DK 1, Mo Bacon's eager drums and bassist Rob Sapsed doing a heroic job enhancing Fisher and Staffell's arrangement. Derivative 'Alone' is a miss but 'War Games' rocks, Bacon tearing up his drums, Staffell's vaguely biblical lyric and giddy vocal, and Fisher terrific on all number of keys from a Steinway Grand to a Hammond to a Spinet as he knits up the background, always sure to never let a good moment go to waste. Holst's 'Jupiter' from The Planets starts the second half, the nine part title piece. It's not long before things start melting apart into sound effects and space sickness but Morgan picks it up and pumps out the prog; mean organ flurries, unexpected jazzplay, piano lines merging into squealing synths, descriptive mood-setting, carousels, calliopes, histrionic dramaturgy, and more Holst at the end.

A one of a kind release by a band that epitomised the working prog musician and what a few inspired guys could do with some good equipment. Someday along your listening journey, Morgan Fisher's work deserves your attention. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But soon, and for the rest of your life. - Atavachron

[mogrooves]

One of those groups I blow hot-&-cold on. Good stuff often is marred by cringe-inducing stuff, and Staffell's voice isn't my cuppa. But, I dig Maurice Bacon's drumming.

[JeffCarney]

One of those groups I blow hot-&-cold on. Good stuff often is marred by cringe-inducing stuff, and Staffell's voice isn't my cuppa. But, I dig Maurice Bacon's drumming.

This sums up my feelings well.

It's got really brilliant moments but some of it is really "of its time." Staffell's voice is good but not really to my taste.

I think this and the following album are both worth having, however. They scratch a certain "itch" and the arsenal of equipment used was obviously fairly vast. Interesting explorations at the very least.

[Progbear]

I like this: keyboard prog that uses a different template than the usual ELP “classical themes and tons of bombast” formula. Of course, they couldn’t help but sneak a little classical stuff in there (the Holst bit that opens and closes the “Nova Solis” suite itself). And it actually wasn’t until I owned this for a few years that I realized the Queen connection (the one Smile A-side, “Earth,” is wedged right in the middle of “Nova Solis” here).

Count me in as a fan of Tim Staffell’s singing. No, he’s no Freddie Mercury, but he does have a strong and clear voice and I quite enjoy his singing here. I get why RCA balked at releasing Brown Out, the band’s crude original concept for the cover art notwithstanding. Fisher was already going into a bit of an avant-garde direction with that album (check out “The Right”), which is a bit more explicit on Ivories and the crazy stuff he released after Mott/British Lions finally disbanded.

[spacefreak]

A pleasant album that I'd rather have on revisit than listening to 90% of what passes for modern symph.

[Levgan]

This is good, inventive stuff that has aged well IMO. Somehow in my brain it is lumped together with the keyboard-driven proto-prog releases from the slightly earlier period than with anything big-5 prog bands came up with. Staffell's voice doesn't bother me in the slightest – it goes along well with Fisher's spacey keyboard explorations, almost like Simeon Coxe's singing on those late 1960s Silver Apples albums.

I'm also completely fascinated with Morgan Fisher's personality. Playing with Mott the Hoople, of all bands, and doing these offbeat prog things as a side line, then venturing in several far-reaching avant-garde experiments, starting from "Miniatures" LP and Hybrid Kids' bent experimental avant-pop and going well into the 1980s... how's that for a career trajectory?

[Supersonic Scientist]

Never heard of this before....gave both vids a listen....very much reminded me of Fireballet in both, singing, song-quality and production values....I liked it.

[Poisoned Youth]

I was curious the number of responses we would get from this. I have no gauge if this is supposed to be for obscurists or if relatively well known at least in U.K. circles. I sort of got the sense there would be a little more response to date (besides those I might expect to respond).

[JeffCarney]

I was curious the number of responses we would get from this. I have no gauge if this is supposed to be for obscurists or if relatively well known at least in U.K. circles. I sort of got the sense there would be a little more response to date (besides those I might expect to respond).

Definitely surprises me.

For some reason I would have thought nearly everybody here would have heard this one.

But then bands like Journey, Styx, Asia and so forth seem to be getting and more airtime here every time I check in, so I guess I'm a bit lost as to the type of folk who would frequent PE at current.

[moecurlythanu]

I was curious the number of responses we would get from this. I have no gauge if this is supposed to be for obscurists or if relatively well known at least in U.K. circles. I sort of got the sense there would be a little more response to date (besides those I might expect to respond).

It's been on my radar for a long time, but I never prioritized it and thus, never heard it.

[Sputnik]

I owned this briefly years ago. I remember absolutely hating it, but I didn't remember why. I just listened to a bit of the second sample above, and it all came back to me. The vocals. The vocals. What a horror. Really I'd rather listen to Katy Perry than this cheese whiz. Yeah, there are some OK instrumental moments, but it's just utterly ruined for me by the vocals, and the vocal sections, which are cheesy even without the bad singing. Just my opinion, and all that, but this is and album I truly regret buying without sampling more fully.

Bill

[JeffCarney]

I owned this briefly years ago. I remember absolutely hating it, but I didn't remember why. I just listened to a bit of the second sample above, and it all came back to me. The vocals. The vocals. What a horror. Really I'd rather listen to Katy Perry than this cheese whiz. Yeah, there are some OK instrumental moments, but it's just utterly ruined for me by the vocals, and the vocal sections, which are cheesy even without the bad singing. Just my opinion, and all that, but this is and album I truly regret buying without sampling more fully.

Bill

Yeeeeeaahhhhh ... no.

Opinion is hard to argue but there is something a bit over the top about yours here, Bill. I think the vocals just bother you for some reason and you're not able to get inside this album at all. I don't mind them, so maybe it's easier to hear the album as a whole.

There is some pretty brilliant stuff on this record. Side B; especially. The title track is almost like ascending into space put to rock music. The opening with the fuzz bass, patiently developing keyboard melody ...

Easily a B/B- record, IMO.

[Progbear]

I was curious the number of responses we would get from this. I have no gauge if this is supposed to be for obscurists or if relatively well known at least in U.K. circles. I sort of got the sense there would be a little more response to date (besides those I might expect to respond).

Well, Morgan Fisher had been a member of Love Affair, who had a burst of pop stardom in the late 60s (they had a massive hit with a cover of Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love”). They eventually evolved into the more prog-oriented L.A. before he jumped ship to explore more explicitly progressive territory with Morgan.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I much prefer the zanier The Sleeper Awakes (aka Brown Out), Morgan's second album. It's got something anarchic and wild about it that this one misses, IMO - and less of the "by the numbers UK symphonic rock" antic which was already ubiquitous by 1972-73.

[Conti]

I've had never heard of this band/album before, so thanks for the opportunity to check it out. I hear cool moments here and there, but nothing impressive enough to float my boat.

[soundsweird]

Bought this LP when it came out, based on the cover/instrumentation, kept it for a year or two, sold it. I had the second album briefly, too. I guess it was probably the vocals I didn't like. I do still have Miniatures and Hybrid Kids.

[Trane]

one of those classic era bands that I must still investigate.

EDIT: after hearing those two tracks , I think I won't go much further...

TBH, had I known this back then (or even during the 90's), I'd probably still love today... but discovering this nowadays, it simply doesn't do anything but slightly annoy me (vocals mainly)... sounds like second rate Eloy (and I'm not a big fan of Eloy either)

[yesstiles]

I forgot I had this album. I need to dig it out. It's quite enjoyable.

[Joe F.]

I have both albums. I like both albums. The vocals don't bother me. Fisher's playing is fantastic.

[JeffCarney]

Well, Morgan Fisher had been a member of Love Affair, who had a burst of pop stardom in the late 60s (they had a massive hit with a cover of Robert Knight’s “Everlasting Love”). They eventually evolved into the more prog-oriented L.A. before he jumped ship to explore more explicitly progressive territory with Morgan.

L.A.'s New Day is quite an underrated record, IMO. A really good album which has plenty to appeal to prog fans despite not really being of that school.

[Mythos]

I owned this briefly years ago. I remember absolutely hating it, but I didn't remember why. I just listened to a bit of the second sample above, and it all came back to me. The vocals. The vocals. What a horror. Really I'd rather listen to Katy Perry than this cheese whiz. Yeah, there are some OK instrumental moments, but it's just utterly ruined for me by the vocals, and the vocal sections, which are cheesy even without the bad singing. Just my opinion, and all that, but this is and album I truly regret buying without sampling more fully.

Bill

I also owned it back in the 70's and absolutely hated it and hated the vocals, at least I was not alone... cheers!

[Scrotum Scissor]

Fisher's playing is fantastic.

It's excellent. Just like another UK-based keysman-turned-studio-musician maverick, Duncan Mackay. Fisher's focus was always on the specific functions of playing; whether tricky or demanding, upfront or laidback, emotional or technical - the input was supposed to serve its context of expression. No "hard parts" as a mere platform for exhibitionist filler, no speedy solos to impress.

One of the reasons why I prefer the second album to Nova Solis is that Fisher really hits home with his sonic experimentations around the keys. Synthesizers distorted through Leslie cabinets equipped With a guitar fuzzbox surely generates a penetrating shock-sound. There are numerous such details at play there. Sometimes outrageous, but almost always intriguing or interesting.

[FrippWire]

I forgot I had this album. I need to dig it out. It's quite enjoyable.

Same here.